Hand glass-tube cutter



UNITED STATES PATENT FFICE.

ROBERT W. FENW IOK, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, ASSIGNOR TO ALEXANDER E. HUNT, OF SORANTON, PENNSYLVANIA.

- HAND GLASS-TUBE CUTTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 513,965, dated January 30, 1894.

Application filed March 20, 1891. Renewed July '7, 1893. Serial No. 479,806. (No model.)

and consists in such a cuttercomprising two arms which are connected by one or more vertical pins, on one of which pins an arm of r the implement vibrates or oscillates; one of said arms being provided with an exteriorly clamping piece, and the other with an interiorly acting incision-cutter; and also with novel means, such as hereinafterdescribed, for vibrating or oscillating one or both of the arms, so as to cause the clamp to bear against the outer surface of tubing being incised, and the incision-cutter to bear against the inside of the same, and thus insure the cutting of incisions, or determined lines of fracture 1n 5 the tubing, so that glass tube-sections of determined lengths adapted for gages and other uses, can be readily removed from the glass tubing in which the incisions are made, by gently tapping the tubing near the incisions, or determined lines of fracture.

It also consists in the combination of a toggle-lever mechanism, or its equivalent, for vibrating or oscillating one or both of the clamping arms on one or both of the pins, and moving the forward end of the respective arms toward one another, and their respective rear lever-extension ends away from each other, thereby clamping the glass tubing on the outside, and by pressure insuring a cuting contact of the incision cutter against the inside of the glass tubing, and the cutting of incisions or determined lines of fracture in such tubing.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a partial side elevation and broken section of a hand implement for cutting incisions in glass tubing, illustrating my invention. Fig. 2 is a similar view of another form of the implement, according to my invention. Fig. 3 is a broken top view of Fig. 2. Figs. 4, 5 and cutting implement. These arms are connected at their rear, lever-extension ends by vertical pins as c, c; and around one of these pins a spiral spring d may be wound. One end of the respective pins may be fastened securely in the arm B by a screw thread,or otherwise,

while the other ends are passed up quite 7o loosely through passages e, e'vin the arm A, said passages being of sufficiently greater diameter than the pins to permit the arm A to vibrate or oscillate, up and down, on the pins when pressure is applied in a manner to bring 7 5 the forward ends of the armstoward one another, and move their rear ends apart. For preventing the upper arm getting off of pine, or rising thereon, a cotter or pin f is passed through the pin 0 just above the arm A. To the arm B a link 0 of a toggle lever device D, is pivoted at g; and to the arm Aan elbow lever E is pivoted at g, the shorter arm of said lever, and the angular bend thereof, being passed down through a slot h in the arm A, and 8 5 connected bya pivot g to the upper end of the link 0 as shown. The long arm of the lever E extends forward above and over the arm A, and, by depressing it with the hand while clasping and manipulating the implement, it is caused to straighten the toggle device D, and thereby vibrate or oscillate the arm A upon the pin 0, and force its forward end downward toward the forward end of the arm B, and its rear end upward away from the 5 rear end of said arm B. The spring d is compressed as the toggle device 1) is straightened, and as soon as the force upon the lever E is relaxed this spring throws up the forward end of the arm A and causes the toggle I00 device to assume its normal angular position shown in Fig. 1. On the front end of the arm A a revolving incision-cutter F, or a diamond point, is applied in the usual manner, so as to enter the glass tube along with the arm; and upon the arm B a concaved or segmental clamping piece G is constructed, or applied, so as to fit and bear forcibly upon the outside of the glass tube. The arm B has a scale marked upon it; and is also provided with a tubular stop gage H which is fitted to slide upon the arm; it being confined by a set screw 'i and made adjustable so as to answer for gaging different lengths of sections to be out from the glass tubing.

In Figs. 2 and 3, one of the two pins 0, c is provided with a spiral spring (Z, and a cotter f; and the toggle device D is operated by two knobs E, E applied upon horizontal extensions or spindle ends of the pivot 9 The extensions of the pivot g are passed through slotted, sector shaped guide pieces g fastened, as illustrated in Fig. 3, to the sides of the arm A. By moving forward the pivot g (with the knobs) in the sector-slots, the toggle device D will be straightened, and the arm A caused to operate in the same manner as when moved by the toggle device D in Fig. 1.

In Fig. 4, the arms A and B are connected by a single vertical pin 0, which is provided with a spiral spring 61, and kept in place by a cotter or pin f and for vibrating or oscillating the arm A on the pin 0, a sliding wedge block E which is applied between the rear lever-extension ends a and b of the arms, is provided. This block has one or more handle knobs as E, by which it is moved forward and back either by hand or a lever mechanism D Fig. 6; and it is fitted in guiding channels 19 formed in the inner surfaces of the said extensions; and, by its form, it presses the rear, lever-extension end of the arm A, away from the extension end of the arm B when it is slid toward the pin 0 thereby causing the forward end of said arm A to approach arm B; and, when moved backward, allows the spring (1 to readjust said arm to its normal position substantially as shown in Fig. 4. In Fig. 5 the arms A and B are connected in the same manner as in Fig. 4, and an inclined projection q is formed on each of the arms forward of the pin a, and the arms are yoked by means of a sliding yoke I, having its inner bearing surface tapered to fit the inclined projections q. By sliding this yoke backward on the said inclines, either by hand, or a lever mechanism D Fig. 6, the forward end of the arm A will be forced toward the forward end of the arm B, and the clamping piece G made to bear against the glass tubing K While the cutter bears against the inside of the same.

In Fig. 6 the arms A and B are connected by pins as c and 0', one of said pins (that 0) being fastened at one end to the armB while the other (0) is left loose at both of its ends; and on the pins spiral springs d, d are applied. On each of the rear lever extensions a, b of the arms A and B, an inclined projection as q is formed, and the arms are yoked together by a yoke I, having its inner bearing surface tapered to fit the inclined projections q. To this yoke, links 0' are pivoted as at g, and these links are pivoted as at g to elbow levers E which are pivoted as at g to the ends of the pin 0; thus forming a toggle device D By depressing the lovers, in clasping the implement with the hand, the links draw the ,yoke forward up the inclined projections, and thereby the arm Ais caused to vibrate or oscillate, and its forward end to move toward the forward end of the arm B, thus causing the clamp piece G to press on the glass tubing K, and keep the cutter in effective operative contact with the said glass tubing K, which is to have incisions out upon it. On relaxing the pressure of the hand upon the levers, the springs will readjust the arms to their normal positions.

In constructing the arms A and B, they will, as is commonly the case in some other hand implements of this type, be bent and shaped so as to have the incision cutter and clamping piece bear as nearly as practicable at a right angle to the axis of the tubing. It might be practicable, without departing from my invention, to have the clamping arm and its clamping piece shaped to enter the tubing, and to bear upon the inside thereof; and the cutter to bear outside of the tubing, but I prefer the arrangement shown.

This implement is especially designed as an improvement on that type of hand glass cutter which has two arms connected by a horizontal pivot, one of said arms carrying the cutter and entering the glass tubing and the other carrying the clamping piece and bearin g on the outside of said tubing. In operating the implement, the glass tubing is held in the left hand, and the implement in the right; and when the cutter and clamp are bearing against the tubing, said tubing is revolved several times, and by this means the cutter is caused to cut the desired incision at about a right angle to the axis of the tubing; and this done, the implement is removed, and by a slight tap on the tube near the incision, a section of tube for a gage can be separated from the tubing; and thereupon the opera tion is repeated.

I do not claim anything shown and claimed, or might be properly claimed in the application of J. Odell Fowler, J r., filed February 5, 1891, Serial No. 380,388, as my invention relates to that type of glass cutter wherein the cutter carrying arm and the clamping piececarrying arm vibrate or oscillate and auxiliary means for oscillating an arm of the implement, in contradistinction to a glass cutter the arms of which make a straight reciproeating movement on vertical guides. Neither do I claim broadly a glass tube cutter comprising a bar with a cutter at one end, said bar being attached at or near the other end to another bar carrying a suitable bearing opposite the cutter of the first bar, the bars being so connected as to permit movement IIO toward and from each other and having an auxiliary connecting device connected to or bearing upon each bar, and with a projecting lever handle whereby the bars may be pressed toward each other during the cutting. As I only claim, as hereinafter stated, specific means, constructions and combinations, therefore What I claim as my invention is- 1. A glass tube cutter comprising two approximately parallel arms or bars, one carrying at its front end a cutter and the other at its front end a bearing opposite the cutter, a stud applied to the rear portion of one arm or bar and passing loosely through an opening in the other arm or bar, of a size sufficient to allow the bar to oscillate, a guide which in connection with the'stud serves for keeping the two arms in the same plane, a pin or stop on the stud, and a spring to hold the loose arm or bar out against the pin or stop, against which, as a fulcrum, the loose bar and passing loosely through appropriate sized openings in the other arm or bar which is arranged to oscillate, and a toggle lever device for oscillating an arm of the implement, whereby as the rear ends of the arms or bars are forced apart the front ends are pressed together during the cutting.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ROBERT W. FENWICK. Witnesses:

C. SEVERANCE, EDWARD T. FENWI-oK. 

